A wedding is never simple - it is a lot more than just a union between two people, says Taiwanese actress Amber An, who has been cast in a new local movie titled, well, A Simple Wedding.
"It's bringing two families together as well, so it can be quite complicated. My mum is not pressuring me to get married yet, but she always likes to screen my boyfriends. If I bring a boyfriend home, she always has to approve him," she says. The 31-year-old actress was speaking to The Straits Times in Mandarin at a press event yesterday to announce the upcoming romantic comedy.
In the Singapore film, which starts shooting next month, she plays a diving instructor who wants to have quiet nuptials with her boyfriend, who is played by local actor Desmond Tan in his first movie lead role. Her prospective in-laws, however, are keen for something more lavish, which causes much friction between the bridal couple.
Produced by home-grown companies Clover Films, mm2 Entertainment and Weiyu Films, the $1.5-million movie directed by Lee Thean-jeen is An's first Singapore film. She says: "I'm just so happy to be able to come to Singapore to film. This is a foodie heaven, so there will be plenty to keep me busy during my one month here."
In fact, she has already made plans to eat chilli crab at Jumbo Restaurant after the press event.
But she also packed her pots and pans for her stay here, so that she could do some healthy cooking in her hotel room to offset some of her heavier meals outside. "I love to eat, but I have to watch my weight. I plan on making some simple seafood dishes on my own in between shoots. But I was really silly and left the knives in my carry-on bag, so they were confiscated at customs."
The actress, who has starred in television shows such as 2014's Apple In Your Eye, is nicknamed "goddess for otaku" by her fans for her sweet face and svelte figure. Otaku is a Japanese term for geeks who are obsessed with pop culture.
Although An met her co-star for the first time earlier this week, she already finds him "very sweet".
She says: "We had dinner together and he brought me pandan cake and kueh. When I signed on to this project, my company told me my co-star is very handsome, so I Googled him immediately. He really is very handsome."
Tan is marketed as one of local TV station Mediacorp's "8 Dukes", a group of eight of the station's hottest young male stars.
The 30-year-old, who has acted in more than 25 TV dramas, including Peace & Prosperity (2016), is headlining a movie for the first time.
He says: "I've done TV for 10 years, so I'm excited for audiences to see another side to me in this movie.
"Also, I'm excited to act alongside Amber. She's known as a 'goddess for otaku', which is great for me because I consider myself an otaku."
•A Simple Wedding is slated for release next year.
